Page 20 of Baited

His smile broadens.

“You don’t need to mate with the first female you see, Blayn.”

I simply snarl at him, feathers bristling.

“Not your first female?” he queries.

My feathers slick against me. It’s not a question I know the answer to. But Izzy is the first female I’ve even been in the same room with as far as I can recall.

“She is your first?” he murmurs.

I don’t reply.

“This is going to be interesting,” he says with a snort of breath. “Do you know anything about females, gladiator?”

With a grimace, I shake my head and then delve in my pants to pull out the trinkets and the ribbon I nearly gave to Izzy yesterday.

“Vrex,” Maxym grinds out. “You’re nesting? Already?”

BLAYN

The procurator has been promising an event to end all events, and today half of the dome is being flooded. The other half will be minedfor our pleasure.

Rych holds up a map cube, then tosses it to Maxym, who grins.

“Not going to ask how or where you got this,” he says. “But at least we all get to keep our wings and limbs.”

Rych folds his arms and leans against the wall of the dining hall, feathers pricking with amusement.

“Let’s just say the procurator might be short a cube or two,” he says. “After he decided to inspect our quarters yesterday.” He shrugs. “Why carry something so important with you anyway?”

If it’s not speared to the ground with a dagger, Rych will take it. He especially likes pretty, bright things. I make sure mine are in my pocket.

I am not nesting. I don’t even know what a nest is. I have some things for my Izzy, that’s all. This time, after these games, I will give them to her.

Maxym tosses me the cube, and I give it a cursory glance. The locations of the mines are marked, but I wasn’t intending on spending much time on the ground, not with a dozen challengerson the water and the land. It is still useful to know where they might stand on a mine, to avoid the flying body parts.

I throw it at Klynn who catches it in one hand, not even looking at me. I’ve vrexed him off after the training session this morning and he wants me to know it.

He’ll still join me in the undercroft when I go chasing the dark and the light, regardless of how he feels now.

“Gladiators!” The captain stands in the doorway. “The games await.”

“And they’ll carry on after we’re gone.” Rych mutters darkly, indicating for Klynn to get rid of the map cube.

He swallows it, smacking his lips. Maxym shakes his head and leads the way out of the dining hall.

As we exit, I see our challengers being taken another way. Some of them spot us and shout out what could be insults. As usual, we ignore them. So far, we are all unbeaten. So far, after more games than I can count, we are all alive.

The ante-chamber is buzzing with noise and life. I cringe at the bustle, wanting to shrink into the background, but there is nowhere to go. Weapons are being honed, armor ready for those who use it, and already I can scent the dome itself, this time tinged with the metallic scent of water.

“There are live capa in the flooded areas,” the clerk holding my life force monitor says as I snatch it from him and pull it over my head, where it glows against my chest, sending my statistics to the monitors.

“Good.” I growl. “I’m hungry.”

Across from me, Klynn barks a laugh as he’s being strapped into his armoured breast plate and handed a trident.

I can’t bear anything against my flesh, and even the life force monitor is on me under sufferance. I could not wear armor if I wanted to.

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